Edinburgh zoo halts giant panda breeding programme

Edinburgh zoo has suspended its giant panda breeding programme for at least a year, a few weeks after the man in charge quit his job.

Edinburgh zoo confirmed that Iain Valentine, its director of animals, conservation and education, quit last month after more than a decade championing the pandas’ acquisition and then leading the breeding programme.

A zoo source said there was no connection between the decision not to try artificial insemination with Tian Tian this year, after five years of failed attempts, and Valentine’s departure.

Valentine’s resignation is a blow to the zoo. He had been the architect of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) decision to bid for a breeding pair of giant pandas, first proposing it in 2008 despite considerable scepticism.

Tian Tian and her mate Yang Guang arrived in Edinburgh in December 2011 on a 10-year loan, as part of a £2.6bn trade deal, and were welcomed by Nicola Sturgeon, then deputy first minister of Scotland, and Michael Moore, the Scottish secretary.

Tian Tian had twins in China in 2009, but the RZSS tried natural mating only once at Edinburgh zoo, in 2012. It subsequently used artificial insemination with Yang Guang’s semen and defrosted semen from a panda that had successfully bred at Berlin zoo.

Source: theguardian